Evaluation and Interventional Management of Cardiac Dysrhythmias

This article focuses on the guideline-directed evaluation and management of cardiac dysrhythmias, particularly as they are important to the practice of a noncardiac surgeon. The focus is on atrial fibrillation (AF) as the most common arrhythmia encountered by surgeons. The authors discuss the importance of AF as a risk factor for perioperative morbidity and mortality. They pay particular attention to topics such as postoperative AF and options for its acute treatment and perioperative anticoagulation management. They discuss nonpharmacologic left atrial appendage management and nonpharmacologic AF management, including catheter-based therapy, surgical-based therapy, and hybrid therapies.